


Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

by stormchasersteve



Series: Thundershield advent 2013 [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas Fluff, First Kiss, M/M, Mistletoe, Paganism, Thor Feels, Thundershield - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormchasersteve/pseuds/stormchasersteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thundershield advent day 13 - Thor arrives back in Midgard to find his friends have decorated the Tower already - but the sight of the christmas tree affects him more than any of them could have predicted.</p>
<p>I play pretty loose with norse mythology and pagan symbolism for the sake of plot, so please forgive me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Thor touched down on the roof of the Avengers Tower, the rushing rainbow lights fading around him.  The air was cold and fresh up here, and he took a moment to enjoy the serenity of standing alone over this great midgardian city before nodding thanks to a distant Heimdall and heading inside.

Inside the tower was warm and smelled of baked goods, and Thor could hear the welcome sounds of his friends laughing and exchanging banter in the living area.  There was music in the background and the chink of glasses, and his stomach curled contentedly as he realised he was finally _home_.

"Thor!"  There was a shout from further along the corridor, and there was Steve, beaming, hurrying towards him with outstretched arms. Thor embraced his friend tightly with a chuckle before pulling back to see him properly.

Steve was smart as always - pressed chinos, shining shoes and immaculate hair - but topped with a cosy navy blue sweater with a white reindeer pattern.  His cheeks were charmingly pink, and Thor realised with a jolt of his heartbeat that he had forgotten the way Steve’s green-blue eyes sparkled when he smiled at him.

"I have missed you, my friend," he said sincerely, before his mind had a chance to catch up with him. 

Steve’s eyes dropped bashfully, biting his lip slightly as he frowned.  Thor panicked - had his language been too forward?  He struggled so much with this; on Asgard, the line between friend and shield brother - and lover, his heart added with another skip - was not so clearly defined, and he would hate to make his dearest friend uncomfortable with his words.

But Steve was looking back up at him now, his eyes earnest.

"I… I missed you too."

Thor was caught in his friend’s eyes, in the sincerety of the searching gaze that fixed him to the spot.  He felt breathless, helpless, hardly daring to _think_ lest this impossible moment vanish.  Heart thumping in his chest, he reached towards Steve’s hand.

"Thor, buddy!" Tony’s rowdy voice called down the corridor, and in a blink, the moment was gone.  "You’re back!  Come, we have booze!"

Steve laughed and clapped Thor on the shoulder.

"Tony’s been unbearable since the festive season started - come on, I need some solidarity."

Thor nodded, gladly following his captain to rejoin his teammates.

"We’ve been busy while you were away, Barbie," Tony grinned, gesturing to the living area that was now thoroughly decked in festive trappings and full of his dearest friends.  There was Pepper and Natasha topping up their glasses of champagne while they laughed at Clint climbing onto a table to pin some kind of plant to the ceiling, and there was Jane and Erik and Bruce talking animatedly over a long-abandoned board game, and there was Darcy trying to persuade Nick Fury into a sparkly red eye patch whilst Phil sniggered behind a tumbler of whisky.  And there - standing glorously in silhouette against the vast window, was the tree.

Tall and proud and thick and lush, it was a magnificent young pine that sparkled with light and glass and ribbon.  Thor couldn’t help himself - he rushed over to run his fingers through the spiky-soft needles, to smell that heady, woody scent, to bask in its sheer primal beauty.

"My friends," he said, turning back to the astonished avengers as tears of gratitude threaten to tumble from his eyes, "This is - you are too kind… I do not deserve this."

"It’s just a christmas tree," Clint shrugged, "You know - celebrate the birth of Jesus, all that?"  And Thor found himself laughing through his tears as his friends stared back at them, because they didn’t know - of course they didn’t know!

"Uh, I do not understand the joke," Natasha said cautiously, glancing from Pepper to Tony, who both shook their heads.  Erik frowned for a moment, before his eyes widened, and he beckoned to Thor.

"Come on big guy - come sit and have a drink.  I’ve got a feeling we’re all about to learn something interesting."

Thor smiled gratefully at the scientist, joining him on the sofas as the rest of his friends assembled around them.  As he poured himself a glass of whisky, he noticed that Steve had settled on the armchair opposite him and was watching him with the most curious expression.

"Your ‘christmas’ tree…" Thor began, relaxing into his seat as he sipped the dark liquor, "It is older than you think - older than your Jesus festival, certainly!  It comes from the midwinter celebrations of those who lived in the cold, north parts of Europe centuries ago.  When the nights were at their longest, they would bring an evergreen tree into their house to symbolise life -  growth - fertility."

There was a rapt silence, and Thor continued.

"To these people, as you are aware, I was considered… a god.  A god of thunder, as you know, but more than that.  To them, my vitality made me…" he paused, suddenly a little embarrassed to be saying this to his friends, and took a sip of whisky.  Bruce gestured for him to carry on. "…a god of fertility, also.  The tree was their gift to me, and in turn it gifted them hope for a new year, with new life.  At the darkest and coldest time of the year, they honoured _me_ in their own homes - the greatest of all honours.”

Thor bowed his head, cheeks burning and eyes stinging, the enormity of the realisation - that though centuries had passed in this realm, midgardians had carried on this tradition that had started for him, and it still brought joy in the pride of place in their homes - overwhelming him.

As his shoulders shook, a firm hand came to rest on them, and Thor looked up to see Steve crouched before him.

"Wow," he said softly, "That’s… pretty big.  You alright?"

Thor nodded, swallowing, and Steve glanced over at Natasha.

"How long has the turkey been in the oven, Pepper?" the spy asked nonchalantly.

"Oh.  Yeah.  All hands on deck - I need potatoes peeling," Pepper nodded back, and the two quickly herded everyone out towards the kitchen.

Silence settled over Thor and Steve as the asgardian took a few deep breaths, trying to understand this surge of emotion that was threatening to burst inside him.

"Who knew a tree could mean so much?" Steve said, and Thor’s gut churned.

"I am sorry - I misunderstood - I have spoiled the festive celebrations," he muttered, avoiding Steve’s eyes.

"Are you kidding?" Steve chuckled fondly.  "Do you know how rare it is to see genuine joy at christmas time?  How incredible it was to see you face when you saw the tree?  And now - now we know about the history, about how it connects to you and what it means, Thor, that makes it even _more_ amazing.”

"Truly?" he asked, looking up at Steve - and there was that sincerity again, that searching gaze that made Thor’s heart thump more than any battle.

“ _Truly_ , Thor,” Steve said, and squeezed the asgardian’s hands.  “I… I’ve never honestly been that keen on christmas, myself - I’m only wearing this jumper because Phil gave it to me - but all of this?  Learning about the tree - your tree?  I have never _been_ more excited about christmas than I am right now, with you.”

As Steve’s earnest words sank in, Thor glanced up to see the small plant Clint had put on the ceiling just earlier, and finally recognised it.

"Then perhaps next year, I shall tell you all about mistletoe," he chuckled, but his words were stolen from his lips as Steve leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

"Happy Christmas, Thor."


End file.
